McDermott & Bull Recruits Chief People Officer for THINK Together

January 20, 2017 – Executive search firm McDermott & Bull has recruited Martin Holtzman as chief people officer of THINK Together, a non-profit organization that collaborates with communities, parents, and other stakeholders to transform the K-12 education system.
The search was led by principal consultants Bill Brewer and Scott Meyer along with senior recruiting associate Shree Thakarar.
“We moved quickly to complete this search, and were delighted that Marty joined THINK Together less than two months after launching this engagement,” said Mr. Brewer. “Marty is an accomplished human resources leader, and his experience working in large corporations is a great fit for THINK Together’s 2,500 employees.” He said the non-profit is an ideal platform for Mr. Holtzman, “who has a passion around improving the quality of life for others.”
Prior to joining THINK Together, Mr. Holtzman served in the top human resources role for Dako, a subsidiary of Agilent Technologies. He also served as vice president of human resources at Power-One, and has held HR leadership roles for Zebra Technologies Corporation and Somera Communications.
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McDermott & Bull is the 29th largest executive search firm in the America, where it serves clients in the technology, financial services, manufacturing, biotech & life sciences, retail, and professional services sectors.
Just recently, the firm placed Chris Casler as chief people officer at New Century Health. Mr. Casler spent the past nine years with Broadcom where he served as vice president of HR supporting a $4.5 billion business group as well as corporate wide G&A functions.
Going Beyond People Policies
The chief people officer (CPO) position is a relatively new title within the HR function which many companies are using instead of a chief human resources officer (CHRO). It first appeared about a decade ago. Now, as companies look to build internal brand awareness and focus more on establishing and driving their own unique cultures, CPOs are coming more into vogue.
Scott Weisberg, chief people officer at Wendy’s, the $10 billion global fast food chain, said that talent acquisition strategies at many large companies are now as complex as their balance sheets. And while CHROs play a vital role in overseeing an organization’s broad-based workforce, “it is the chief people officer who typically goes beyond overseeing its people policies.”
A number of search firms have been placing CPOs in recent months or are currently leading searches for these C-suite HR executives roles at various organizations. Here’s a look at just a few from the Hunt Scanlon archives:
- Tower Consultants, Ltd. has been retained by FARO Technologies to lead its search for a CPO. Tower Consultants president, Chris Rose, is leading the assignment. According to Ms. Rose, FARO Technologies is seeking a candidate with international agility to partner with a technical / engineering workforce of 1,500 employees.
- FaithSearch Partners has been selected by Denver-based Centura Health to lead its search for an SVP and chief people officer. “Centura Health will need an exceptional, experienced human resources leader with an enthusiasm for this culture,” said FaithSearch president Ed Fry.
- Russell Reynolds Associates has been tapped by HM Revenues & Customs (HMRC) to lead its search for a new CPO. The executive will responsible for the people agenda across HMRC. The position is said to be pivotal to delivering the large-scale workforce planning, leadership and skills elements of HMRC’s transformation and will be a critical driver of HMRC’s “Building Our Future” program. Russell Reynolds is also leading Save the Children International’s chief people officer (CPO) search. The CPO incumbent at Save the Children will be a critical member of the organization’s senior leadership team, with responsibility for the HR leadership of approximately 17,000 staff worldwide.
- Miller Black Associates recruited Andrea Carter as chief people officer of Habitat for Humanity International in Atlanta. Managing director Joanna Miller led the search. Ms. Carter most recently served as global vice president of human resources at Ralph Lauren. According to Ms. Miller, Habitat for Humanity was looking for someone with distinct prerequisites, including: a sitting chief HR officer or very senior No. 2 in a large organization.
Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media